Russia may abandon the simplified scheme for issuing licenses for placer gold. The initiative was supported by relevant ministries. It was discussed on February 17, 2026 at a round table on subsoil use issues. The reason was the low return on some projects and the increase in violations in the industry.
Today, a company has the right to obtain a license on an application basis. You can register up to five plots with a total area of up to 500 square kilometers at a time. This mechanism made entering the market easier and faster. Against the backdrop of high gold prices, many small firms took advantage of this.
However, practice has shown problems. Some new players do not have the equipment, specialists and funds for full-fledged geological exploration. Work is delayed or is not actually carried out. Some companies are using exploration licenses for purposes other than their intended purpose—they start mining instead of studying the subsoil.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade and other departments believe that the rules need to be tightened. According to the head of Rosnedra Oleg Kazanov, the most difficult situation has developed in the alluvial gold segment. Violations of environmental requirements and cases of “gray” mining are more often recorded here.
Rosnedra has already strengthened control over the industry. The abolition of the declarative principle, according to the authorities, will reduce the number of random participants and increase the responsibility of business. Alluvial gold licenses They plan to issue them to those companies that confirm their financial and technical capabilities and are ready to comply with the requirements of the law.
The final decision has not yet been made, but the course towards tightening the rules has already been outlined.
Source: NEDRADV
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